Page 2 of 2
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 2:41 am
by KBCraig
For a backyard bolt action .22, Aguila Super Colibri ammo works great. Less muzzle energy than a high velocity .177 pellet rifle, but a "real" rifle in the kid's mind.
My 5 year old loves his Crickett. I built a backstop of 4x4s, which the Aguila barely dents. He's pretty good at popping balloons with it.
Kevin
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 2:43 am
by carlson1
Bolt Action
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:32 pm
by kauboy
Definitely a bolt action until he is (and you are) confident of his handling skills. A semi can be trouble if things go wrong and he panics for some reason.
After the bolt, I can't help but also add to the Marlin 60 crowd. My grandfather game me his when I was about 12-13 and I still have it. Great little gun!
Of course it really all depends on what he wants to do with it. If you want to introduce him to a real looking/feeling gun, but want to keep a safe travel distance, you could always get him a good airsoft gun. They fire 6mm plastic BBs at speeds up to 450-500fps for high dollar ones, and 200-350fps for average ones. In either case, they only travel about 200yds before they are completely ineffective against anything. You can get one that resembles a real rifle in every way, and still be safer than a real firearm.